System for securing concrete decking forms

ABSTRACT

A concrete form assembly ( 10 ) is provided that allows decking form sections ( 14 ) to be more efficiently secured to adjacent wall sections ( 16 ). The upper sidewall ( 20 ) of the wall section presents a flange ( 22 ) that is configured to engage a rib ( 30 ) formed in a ledger ( 26 ) that attached to a portion of the outer periphery of decking section ( 14 ). A plurality of fasteners ( 44 ) are used to secure the decking section ( 14 ) to the wall section ( 16 ).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is generally directed toward a concrete form assembly that is used to form poured concrete walls connected by an overhead concrete deck. More particularly, the concrete form assembly comprises a decking form section configured to engage a specially designed structure formed in the upper sidewall portion of the adjacent concrete wall form. The decking section and specially designed sidewall structure cooperate to allow efficient and accurate assembly of the decking forms.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Many present day poured concrete structures are constructed using prefabricated, reusable, interlocking form sections or panels. These panels are necessarily of relatively high strength, yet preferably are compact and lightweight. Thus, concrete form panels are advantageously constructed from aluminum, and are designed to be interconnected end-to-end as well as in opposed relationship, to present a wall form for example. Decking forms can also be used to create overhead decks of concrete that span between the wall structures. Such decks of concrete are often used as a roofs for the various building structures. When all the forms are in place, the walls and deck can be poured at the same time to form a monolithic concrete structure.

Typically, the decking forms are secured to the adjacent wall forms with nuts and bolts. The fastening of all of the nuts and bolts required to properly align or “square” the form panels can be a highly time consuming process. Likewise, all of the nuts and bolts must be disassembled once the pour is completed thereby leading to yet further commitments of time and labor to the project. Therefore, a need exists for a more efficient manner of securing concrete decking form sections to the adjacent wall form sections while ensuring proper alignment between the decking forms and wall forms.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a concrete decking form assembly that comprises at least one generally upright wall section, at least one decking section, and at least one fastener for securing the decking section to the wall section. The wall section generally includes a wall panel and an upper sidewall. The upper sidewall presents an upwardly protruding flange that extends along at least a portion of the length of the upper sidewall. The decking section generally comprises a decking panel and at least one outboard ledger coupled thereto. The ledger is configured to engage the protruding flange located on said wall section. The fastener, when securing decking section to the wall section, engages both the ledger and flange.

In another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a concrete decking form assembly that comprises at least one generally upright wall section, at least one decking section, and at least one fastener for securing the decking section to the wall section. The wall section generally includes a wall panel, an upper sidewall, and a flange protruding upwardly from the sidewall and extending along at least a portion of the length thereof. The decking section generally comprises a decking panel and a ledger attached to the decking panel. The decking panel presents upper and lower surfaces and a circumscribing outboard margin. The ledger is attached proximate to the outboard margin and presents first and second ribs that extend away from the margin and are substantially perpendicular to the decking panel. The fastener comprises a wedge that engages both the flange and the first rib when securing the decking section to the wall section.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a concrete decking form that may be secured to an upright wall form. The decking form generally comprises a decking panel and an outboard ledger that is attached to a portion of the decking panel. The decking panel presents upper and lower surfaces and a circumscribing outer margin. The outboard ledger is attached to the decking panel proximate the outer margin and comprises first, second, and third ribs that extend downwardly from the decking panel upper surface. The first and second ribs cooperatively define a first channel formed in the ledger and the second and third ribs cooperatively define a second channel formed in the ledger.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a concrete decking form assembly in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the concrete decking form assembly depicting the various connectors for securing the decking section to the wall sections;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the concrete decking form assembly;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the concrete decking form assembly prior to the decking section being secured to the wall section by a connector;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the concrete decking form assembly with the decking section being secured to the wall section by a connector;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the concrete decking form assembly showing the placement of a pin to prevent vertical shifting of the decking section relative to the wall section;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of a fastener assembly that may be used with the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a top view of the fastener assembly of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the fastener assembly of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following description is directed toward a concrete decking form assembly in accordance with the present invention. It is to be understood, however, that these description is provided by way of illustration and nothing therein should be taken as a limitation upon the overall scope of the invention.

Turning now to FIG. 1, a concrete decking form assembly 10 is shown that comprises wall forms 12 and a decking section 14. The various forms and much of the associated hardware described herein are preferably made from aluminum due to its light weight and high strength. However, it is certainly within the scope of the present invention to utilize other metals or alloys in connection with, or in place of, the various aluminum components of form assembly 10. Wall forms 12 generally include opposed wall sections 16, 18. Wall sections 16 present an upper sidewall 20 which includes an upwardly protruding flange 22. Sidewall 20 and flange 22 are more clearly visible in FIGS. 4 and 5. Wall forms 12 are described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/763,866, by Douglas E. Trimmer, entitled CONCRETE FORM SYSTEM FOR LOW-CLEARANCE APPLICATIONS, filed Jun. 15, 2007, which is incorporated by reference herein. It is understood that any type of wall form system may be employed, including that shown and described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/763,759, by Douglas E. Trimmer, SYSTEM FOR SECURING CONCRETE FORM PANELS, filed Jun. 15, 2007, which is incorporated by reference herein, provided that the wall form system includes an appropriately configured flange protruding from the upper sidewall thereof.

Decking section 14 generally comprises a decking panel 24 and at least one outboard ledger 26 coupled thereto. Ledger 26 presents a unique configuration and is designed to engage flange 22 when decking section 14 is fastened to wall sections 16. As shown in FIG. 4, ledger 26 presents an innermost first rib 28, a medial second rib 30 and an outboard third rib 32. Ribs 28 and 30 cooperatively define a first elongated channel 34 formed in ledger 26, and ribs 30 and 32 cooperatively define a second elongated channel 36. Channel 34 is located inboard from channel 36 and generally presents a width that is greater than the width of channel 36. Also, rib 28 presents a height that is greater than the height of either of ribs 30 or 32. In the embodiments depicted in the Figures, ribs 30 and 32 present an approximately equivalent height.

Also as shown, ledger 26 is independently formed (such as by extrusion) and then coupled to decking section 14, particularly to a sidewall 37 of the decking section. Thus, rib 28 abuts sidewall 37. Ledger 26 may be welded to sidewall 37 or affixed using any other acceptable attachment means known in the art. However, it is also within the scope of the present invention for ledger 26 to be unitarily formed with all or at least a portion of decking section 14. In such an embodiment there would be no sidewall 37 and only rib 28.

Decking panel 24 generally presents an upper surface 38, a lower surface 40, and a circumscribing side margin 42. Depending upon the location of the particular decking section 14 within the overall form assembly 10, ledger 26 may be provided about decking panel 24 proximate one or more portions of circumscribing margin 42. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, decking section 14 is a corner section. Thus, ledger 26 extends along two portions of circumscribing margin 42. The other portions of circumscribing margin 42 do not require ledger 26 to be present as these portions of decking panel 24 are interior to the overall decking assembly. Therefore, only those portions of decking section 14 that are proximate a wall section 16 need to be provided with ledger 26.

Decking section 14 and wall section 16 are secured together using a plurality of fastener assemblies 44. As shown in FIGS. 7-9, fastener assemblies 44 generally include an L-shaped wedge 46 that is slidably received within a bracket 48. As described in further detail below, a pin 50 is provided that may be inserted through an orifice 52 in order to prevent vertical movement of wedge 46 relative to bracket 48 should wedge 46 become loosened during use of form assembly 10. Further, a retainer pin 54 is provided that may be inserted through an orifice 56 in order to keep wedge 46 from completely escaping from the confines of bracket 48. Bracket 48 is provided with a flanged portion 58 that is secured to wall section 16, particularly to support 17 by nut 60 and bolt 62. Bracket 48 also includes a guide 63 that assists in proper positioning of bracket 48 and also prevents the bracket from rotational shifting during use.

The present invention has made the attachment of decking sections to upright wall sections a much simpler operation compared to conventional means of attachment. In the past, much attention needed to be paid to the proper alignment of the edges of the decking sections relative to the upright wall sections to which they would be secured. Particularly, if the decking sections were not properly aligned, the corner joints (i.e., the intersection of two adjacent, non-coplanar wall sections and the decking section) would not be square, potentially leading to irregularly shaped corners in the finished structure. Further, securing the decking and wall sections is traditionally accomplished using nut and bolt fasteners, a time consuming activity.

The present invention eliminates much of the potential for the misalignment of the decking sections relative to the wall sections and simplifies the assembly process. Installation of decking section 14 onto a previously erected wall section 16 begins by placing decking section 14 on top of wall section 16 so that rib 30 rests on top of upper surface 20 and is outboard of flange 22 as shown in FIG. 4. Note that rib 32 may or may not rest upon upper surface 20 at this stage. It is preferable for rib 32 to be in contact with upper surface 20 so as to ensure that rib 32 does not slip behind wall panel 64 and bind during the fastening of decking section 14 to wall section 16. To further this objective, rib 32 is also provided with a inboard-extending bottom shoulder 65 that provides additional surface area for contact with upper sidewall 20.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, a pin 70 is inserted through a specially created orifice formed in decking section 14, and particularly in rib 28. Here, the orifice is provided as a drilled bolt 72 held in place by a nut 74. However, orifice may be formed in another manner known to those of skill in the art. The orifice is positioned so that, upon insertion, a portion of pin 70 resides immediately below the underside of upper sidewall 20 between the sidewall's forward 76 and aft 78 side margins. Thus, pin 70 inhibits substantial vertical or upward movement of decking section 14 relative to wall section 16. In other words, pin 70 prevents decking section 14 from being lifted off wall section 16. The inhibition of this movement becomes important during the securing of decking section 14 to wall section 16 using fastener assemblies 44 discussed below.

Finally, wedge 46 is driven up into channel 34, as shown by the arrow of FIG. 4. Note at this point that flange 22 (which extends upwardly from sidewall margin 76) and rib 30 need not snugly engage each other. Therefore, the horizontal gap between flange 22 and first rib 28 need not be at its maximum. Wedge 46 presents a tapered surface 66 which assists in forcing flange 22 and rib 28 apart as wedge 46 is driven up into channel 34. Wedge 46 is provided with a horizontal arm 68 that the user may contact with a hammer in order to drive wedge 46 into channel 34 (thus illustrating the need for inhibiting upward movement of decking section 14 with pin 70). As shown in FIG. 5, wedge 46 has engaged both first rib 28 and flange 22 thereby driving them apart. Wedge 46 is held in place by frictional forces and the compressive forces of rib 28 and flange 22. Also, flange 22 and second rib 30 have been brought into snug contact with each other and third rib 32 now rests upon upper sidewall 20.

At this point, pin 50 is inserted through orifice 52 to prevent wedge 46 from slipping out of engagement with rib 28 and flange 22. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a plurality of spaced apart fastener assemblies 44 are employed to fully secure decking section 14 to the various wall sections 16. The exact number of fastener assemblies 44 used per wall section 16 depends on the preferences of the user. However, given that the fasteners themselves are only indirectly responsible for ensuring proper alignment between the decking and wall sections (as proper alignment is directly ensured by the mating of ledger 26 and flange 22), fewer fasteners may be employed than with conventional decking systems thus reducing the overall assembly time. FIGS. 2 and 3 show approximately two fastener assemblies 44 for each wall section 16. However, this need not be the case. For example, a single fastener assembly 44 may be used for each wall section 16, or a single fastener assembly may be provided for every other wall section.

After pouring and setting of the concrete within wall forms 12 and on top of decking section 14, form assembly 10 is disassembled and made ready for reuse. To disassemble form assembly 10, pins 50 and 70 are removed and wedge 68 is shifted from an engaged position (in which it is in simultaneous contact with rib 26 and flange 22) to a disengaged position (in which it is out of contact with both rib 26 and flange 22). Next, at least one of wall sections 16 is removed by first shifting the wall section outward, away from the poured concrete wall, so as to disengage flange 22 from rib 30. The bottom end of wall section 16 is then pivoted further outward (away from the concrete wall) until the upper portion of wall section 16 clears ledger 26. The remaining wall sections are disassembled similarly. Note that beams and shore posts (not shown) may be employed to support decking section 14 during and after pouring of the concrete, particularly when pouring large deck spans. Finally, the remaining supports and decking sections 14 are disassembled. It is within the scope of the present invention to configure decking section 14 so that it could be disassembled from form assembly 10 prior to disassembly of wall sections 16. This may require making some slight modifications to decking sections 14, and possibly ledger 26, which are deemed to be within the capabilities of one of skill in the art. 

1. A concrete decking form assembly comprising: at least one generally upright wall section including a wall panel and an upper sidewall, said upper sidewall presenting an upwardly protruding flange extending along at least a portion of the length of said upper sidewall; at least one decking section including a decking panel and at least one outboard ledger coupled thereto, said ledger being configured to engage said protruding flange; and at least one fastener for securing said decking section to said wall section that engages both said flange and said ledger.
 2. The form assembly according to claim 1, wherein said upper sidewall presents a forward side margin and an opposed aft side margin that is proximate said wall panel, said flange protruding from said upper sidewall proximate said forward side margin.
 3. The form assembly according to claim 1, wherein said ledger presents first and second elongated channels formed therein.
 4. The form assembly according to claim 3, wherein said first elongated channel is defined by first and second ribs extending from said ledger, and wherein said second elongated channel is defined by said second rib and a third rib extending from said ledger, said third rib being outboard from said first and second ribs.
 5. The form assembly according to claim 4, wherein said fastener comprises a wedge connector that is received within said first elongated channel and engages said first rib and said flange when securing said decking section to said wall section.
 6. The form assembly according to claim 5, wherein said wedge connector is slidably received in a bracket that is affixed to said wall section.
 7. The form assembly according to claim 5, wherein said wedge connector presents a tapered upper end that facilitates insertion of said wedge connector into said first channel.
 8. The form assembly according to claim 4, wherein said third rib rests upon said upper sidewall when said decking section is secured to said wall section.
 9. The form assembly according to claim 5, wherein said flange engages the inboard side of said second rib when said decking section is secured to said wall section.
 10. The form assembly according to claim 3, wherein said flange is received within said first channel when said decking section is secured to said wall section.
 11. A concrete decking form assembly comprising: at least one generally upright wall section including a wall panel, an upper sidewall, and a flange protruding upwardly from said sidewall and extending along at least a portion of the length thereof; at least one decking section including— a decking panel presenting upper and lower surfaces and a circumscribing outboard margin; and at least one ledger attached to said panel proximate said outboard margin, said ledger presenting first and second ribs extending away from said margin and substantially perpendicular to said decking panel; and at least one fastener for securing said decking section to said wall section comprising a wedge that engages both said flange and said first rib when securing said decking section to said wall section.
 12. The form assembly according to claim 11, wherein said upper sidewall presents a forward side margin and an opposed aft side margin that is proximate said wall panel, said flange protruding from said upper sidewall proximate said forward side margin.
 13. The form assembly according to claim 12, wherein said assembly further comprises a pin that is received through an orifice formed in said ledger and extends beneath said upper sidewall between said forward and aft side margins, said pin preventing said decking section from being vertically detached from said wall section.
 14. The form assembly according to claim 11, wherein said first and second ribs cooperatively define a first elongated channel formed in said ledger.
 15. The form assembly according to claim 14, wherein said wedge is received within said first channel when said decking section is secured to said wall section.
 16. The form assembly according to claim 11, wherein said ledger comprises a third rib that is outboard from said first and second ribs.
 17. The form assembly according to claim 11, wherein said wedge is slidably received in a bracket that is affixed to said wall section.
 18. A concrete decking form that may be secured to an upright wall form comprising: a decking panel presenting upper and lower surfaces and a circumscribing outer margin; and at least one outboard ledger that is attached to a portion of said decking panel proximate said outer margin, said ledger comprising first, second, and third ribs that extend downwardly away from said decking panel upper surface, said first and second ribs cooperatively defining a first channel formed in said ledger, and said second and third ribs cooperatively defining a second channel formed in said ledger.
 19. The decking form according to claim 18, wherein said first channel is located inboard from said second channel.
 20. The decking form according to claim 19, wherein said first channel presents a width that is greater than the width of said second channel.
 21. The decking form according to claim 18, wherein said first rib presents a height that is greater than the height of either said second or third rib.
 22. The decking form according to claim 21, wherein said second and third ribs are of approximately equal height. 